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Newmarket Wednesday review: Sacred too fast for Nell Gwyn rivals
Haggas lands Nell Gwyn with Sacred
Sacred (6/1) showed a smart turn of foot to make a winning reappearance in the Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes.
So often the bridesmaid at two, she travelled sweetly for Ryan Moore through this Group Three contest and produced a good change of gear to sweep by Saffron Beach (4/1) inside the distance and score by three-quarters-of-a-length.
Love Is You caught the eye in third, finishing strongly to finish a further length-and-a-half adrift.
Sky Bet halved the winner in price to 10/1 for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, Betfair and Paddy Power are 16/1 from 50/1.
Michael Shinners, Head of Sports PR at Sky Bet, said: "Sacred had threatened to put in that sort of a performance last season. The application of a tongue tie seems to have made a big difference by the way she put the race to bed. The extra furlong is a question mark but the performance today would certainly give you hope for the future."
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Winning trainer William Haggas was completing a quickfire Group Three double, following the success of My Oberon in the preceding Earl Of Sefton Stakes.
He said of Sacred: “She got beat in three Group Twos last year, which was frustrating, before she went off the boil. But I’ve always maintained she’d stay, and she’s proved that today. She’s got a nice turn of speed and she picked up really well.”
Haggas confirmed the plan to return to Newmarket for next month’s Classic.
“I don’t know the quality of the race – Saffron Beach is a very acceptable first-four shout in the Guineas, I think,” he said. "Ryan said seven is her trip, but I think it’s a no-brainer to come back in two weeks – there’s only one of them a year, and she can always drop back down later.
“I don’t think she does much in front either, so if you’re brave you can wait longer. It’s difficult to know with Ryan, because he doesn’t say much even without a mask – so with one on it is hard to get it! But he’s great and a thorough professional. He was very pleased with her. He gave her a lovely ride, and I thought she won nicely.”
Saffron Beach is also Guineas-bound. Her trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam said: “I thought she ran well – I was really pleased, Adam (Kirby) was happy with her, and she ran right through the line.
“She had a good blow, which we knew she would because she’s 85-90 per cent fit, so we’ll look forward to the Guineas now. She looked to me as if she’s ready for a mile now, comfortably. She was coming back at the line.
“Adam wasn’t too hard on her, because this wasn’t the Guineas. This was better than a stepping-stone – she’s got more black type, which is important, and she’ll come on for the run with a mile to suit, because she took some pulling up.”
1535 Newmarket
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1 5 Sacred 6/1
2 6 Saffron Beach (IRE) 4/1
3 3 Love Is You (IRE) 11/4 f
Winning Trainer: W J Haggas. Winning Jockey: R L Moore
Winning return for My Oberon
My Oberon ran down Marie's Diamond to run out a ready winner of the bet365 Earl Of Sefton Stakes.
The 7/1 winner travelled strongly under James Doyle as the eventual runner-up fended off favourite Global Giant up front.
However as soon as that rival cracked, My Oberon arrived on the scene and he went clear upon meeting the rising ground to win by two-and-a-half lengths.
Haggas, initiating his big-race double, said: “We always hoped he’d be a nice horse. He’s out of a nice Group-winning mare – and being by Dubawi, they get better with age. That was a good start. He ran well against Top Rank last season – and he’d won well with a penalty at Doncaster.
Bookmakers Paddy Power responded by shortening My Oberon to 6-1 from 20-1 for the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes – and Haggas confirmed next month’s Group One is the target.
“I think we’ll go to the Lockinge now – that looks very likely,” he said. “There doesn’t appear to be a stand-out miler this season.
“I’m quite keen at some stage this season to get him up to 10 furlongs, but I want to run him in a Group One now and try and make him a stallion – so the Lockinge is the obvious one. I think he handles soft ground, and obviously Dubawis go on it.
“I haven’t watched a replay yet, so I don’t know if it was the front two getting at it too far out and us picking up the pieces or whether we quickened all the way home. Either way, it was a nice start.”
1500 Newmarket
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1 4 My Oberon (IRE) 7/1
Winning Trainer: W J Haggas. Winning Jockey: James Doyle
Treble tops for Haggas
Haggas completed a treble in the closing 10-furlong handicap with Mohaafeth (6-4 favourite).
“I don’t think the handicapper could have given him much more than 85, but I think he’s a nice horse,” said Haggas. “We wanted to see if he’d be effective at this trip, which he clearly is. How far he’ll go, I don’t know.
“There are two routes. The obvious race is the London Gold Cup at Newbury or he could go for a Derby trial. He’s in the Dante, but the Dee Stakes could be interesting for him.
“I’ll talk to Shadwell and see what they want to do, but it’s very hard when you have a horse rated in the 90s, like he will be, to run them in a stakes race.”
Royal winner in Free Handicap
Tactical (5/1) claimed a thrilling win in the bet365 European Free Handicap for The Queen.
For much of the contest 2/1 favourite Naval Crown looked set to make all for Godolphin but he crucially rolled off the rail approaching the furlong pole.
That allowed Oisin Murphy to take aim aboard the winner who got on top in the final 50 yards for a neck success. Ontario ran well for Aidan O'Brien in third.
John Warren, the Queen’s bloodstock adviser, said: “Andrew (Balding) and I had been discussing with the Queen about his trip and we needed to find out if he was a Jersey horse, a St James’s Palace one or Commonwealth Cup horse.
“Today was a learning mission to see if we’d come back to six (furlongs), but he’s proved seven is no problem so I think all roads lead to Ascot for perhaps the Jersey. He’ll probably have an entry in the St James’s.
“It’s been our imponderable over the winter why his form tailed off, there were mitigating circumstances in the Morny and perhaps he lost his way after that. He’d been working very well at home and Andrew was very happy with him. He’s trained on nicely.”
Murphy added: “Normally when you get stopped here it’s the end of your race, but watching the replay it didn’t perhaps seem as abrupt as it felt.
“Newmarket’s uphill finish means it’s the slowest part of the race which meant I was able to catch William. As he relaxes so well I wouldn’t rule out a mile, but at this time of year there are better options over seven.”
14:25 Newmarket
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1 3 Tactical 5/1
2 2 Naval Crown 2/1 f
Winning Trainer: A M Balding. Winning Jockey: Oisin Murphy
Dettori off the mark
Frankie Dettori rode his first winner of the year in Britain aboard Delta Bay.
Having enjoyed a fruitful winter abroad, the popular Italian – who turned 50 in December – was back in domestic action for the first time in 2021 for day two of the Craven meeting on the Rowley Mile.
And while he was out of luck with his first two mounts aboard Global Giant in the Earl Of Sefton Stakes and Star Of Emaraaty in the Nell Gwyn, he delighted favourite-backers on his third ride of the afternoon in the bet365 European Breeders’ Fund Fillies’ Maiden Stakes.
Runner-up on her racecourse debut at Newbury in October, John and Thady Gosden’s Delta Bay was a 6-4 chance to go one better on her return to action.
Having set the fractions for much of the one-mile journey, the daughter of Nathaniel was strongly pressed by Professional Widow as the line loomed but clung on by a neck.
1610 Newmarket
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1 3 Delta Bay 6/4 f
2 7 Professional Widow (IRE) 18/1
3 6 Portfolio (JPN) 13/2
Winning Trainer: J H M Gosden.Winning Jockey: L Dettori
Race-fit Otto strikes
Count Otto put his assured race fitness to good use when scoring for the fourth time since the turn of the year with a tenacious success in the bet365 Handicap.
Having been kept busy during the winter the Amanda Perrett-trained Sir Prancealot gelding showed a willing attitude to back up his three victories on the all-weather this year in the six furlong contest.
Though pressed late on by Chil Chil, the six year old rallied well under Jim Crowley to hold off the Andrew Balding-trained gelding by a neck.
Perrett said of the 9-1 winner: “He is a wonderful little horse and he has been very consistent since January. He had a bit of an injury after Epsom (in July 2020) as something galloped into the back of him so it gave him a nice holiday. He has come back and it is great to see him do it on the turf.
“He was only beaten a neck at the track last year and he loves fast ground. From January that’s his fourth win of the year and any horse that does that is worth their weight in gold.
“He ran in the consolation race for the Stewards’ Cup a couple of times before. He doesn’t mind coming down a hill as long as he has the last furlong on the level.
“It would be nice to have a go in the big one (Stewards’ Cup). One of his owners would love to run in the Ayr Gold Cup but usually the ground has gone by then.”
13:50 Newmarket
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1 5 Count Otto (IRE) 9/1
2 4 Chil Chil 7/1
3 9Concierge (IRE) 25/1
Winning Trainer: Mrs A J Perrett. Winning Jockey: Jim Crowley
Williams targets Royal Ascot
Desert Dreamer kept it in the family for trainer Stuart Williams by securing a debut victory to move a step closer to an outing at Royal Ascot.
The Oasis Dream filly, who is owned by the Newmarket handler’s mother Carol Shekells and brother-in-law Jonathan Parry, claimed the bet365 British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes, the opening race on day two of the bet365 Craven Meeting at Newmarket.
And she showed a smart turn of foot under Hollie Doyle to defy her 25-1 price tag and prevail by three quarters of a length in the five furlong dash.
Williams, who was celebrating his first winner on the Rowley Mile in 697 days, said: “She has been going nicely at home and that is my first two year old winner here in about 136 tries!
“I was pleased with her and she is very straightforward. She is not very big but she is tough and brave and has got a bit of talent.”
Asked about a potential run at Royal Ascot, he added: “I’d hope so. We’ve got to run again and we might look at something like the National Stakes at Sandown or the Marygate at York.
“She runs in my mother’s colours and she owns him with my brother-in-law. My mum is on her own now and we have sold the stud so this gives her a bit of interest.”
1315 Newmarket
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1 6 Desert Dreamer 25/1
2 4 Bellarena Lady 25/1
3 8 El Hadeeyah (IRE) 8/1
Winning Trainer: S C Williams. Winning Jockey:Hollie Doyle